Download Dalton`s Atomic Theory

Dalton’s Atomic Theory
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John Dalton (in 1805) proposes his Atomic Theory to explain the results of the quantitative
studies of several scientists (including Lavoisier, Proust, and himself, among many others).
Dalton’s Atomic Theory
a. Elements consist of tiny, indivisible particles called atoms.
b. All the atoms of a given element are identical (e.g., same mass, same chemical
behavior).
c. The atoms of different elements differ in fundamental ways (e.g., different masses,
different chemical behavior).
d. Compounds form when atoms of different elements join together in simple whole number
ratios. Thus, a given compound always contains the same relative number and types of
atoms.
e. During a chemical reaction, atoms are neither created nor destroyed. Instead, reactions
involve the reorganization of the atoms – a change in the way they are grouped together.
The atoms themselves are unaltered.
This was the first truly scientific theory of the atom, since Dalton reached his conclusions by
experimentation and examination of the results in an empirical manner.